Minolta X-300, Owner'S Manual

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Page 2: ...MINOLTN ...

Page 3: ...the X 300 s match LED full meteredmanual mode For correct exposureat the meteredvalue simply adjust aperture and pr shutter speedto align blinking and glowing LEDs in the viewfinder Or you can merely refer to these LEDs or totally disregard them when making your own settings Flash photography is also simple just attach a Minolta X seriesAuto Electroflash adjust aperture and shoot Flash ready signa...

Page 4: ... e r a t i o n 1 1 D i s t a n c e s c a l e 3 0 FILMAND FILM SpEED 12 Infrared index 30 L O A D T N G F T L M l f F i l m p l a n e i n d e x 3 0 S a f e L o a d S i g n a l F r a m e c o u n t e r 1 5 F L A S H P H O T O G R A P H Y 3 1 v t E W F t N D E R 1 6 A C C E S S O R I E S 3 2 P R E s H o o T l N G c H E c K t 7 T E C H N I C A LD E T A I L S 3 4 T A K I N G P I C T U R E SI N A U T O M...

Page 5: ... speed ring release Mounting index Minimum aperture lock Disengagefor use on X 300 Depth of fie d soale Safe Load Signal Monitors correct film advance Operating button M ode shutter speed window AUTO automatic mode 1 1000 shutter speeds B bulb long exposure Frame counter Fingerrest Hot shoe Film advancelever www orphancameras com ...

Page 6: ...g meter readings Self timerwith triple rate b l i n k i n gL E D Mode shutter speed selector q F a r d L J MC coupler LTA Lens mounting index Lens release button Shutter releasesocket rrror tlii i lliirli Self timer Front grip LED Bayonet lensmount Diaphragm control lever ...

Page 7: ...hamber Eyepiece Eyepieceframe Memo holder Winder contact Take up spool Pressureplate Back cover ISO DIN ASA table Rewind release der motor drive guide socket W inder m otor drive coup ler Tripod socket www orphancameras com ...

Page 8: ...STRAP AND CASE Attach the strap provided and case optional as shown The strap includes a battery holder used for storing fresh sparebatteries ...

Page 9: ...Automaticmode 2 Check battery power p 1 1 5 Load film properly and closecover p 14 3 S e t f i l m s p e e d p 1 2 6 Advance fi l m to fr am e 1 and check Safe Load Signal p 1 5 4 Openbackcover p 13 www orphancameras com ...

Page 10: ...9 Adjust focus p 20 and remove film ...

Page 11: ... into the mount then turn the lensclockwiseuntil it locksinto placewith a click To remove While pressingthe lens release but ton turn the lenscounterclockwise as far as it will go then lift it out of the mount o Never set a lenswith its rear end down unlessa rear lenscap is on or its control pins may be damaged o Be careful not to touch anythinginsidethe camera especially the mirror when attaching...

Page 12: ...ew the battery chambercover counterclockwise and removeit 2 Wipe the terminalswith a clean dry cloth Hold the batteries by their edgesand insertthem plus side up into the sleeve on the insideof the cover o Do not use 1 35vmercury batteries MR44 EvereadyEPX 675or equiv which are the sameshapeand size because their voltageis too low o To avoid battery leakageor bursting do not mix batteries of diffe...

Page 13: ...the operat ing button is touched so you may want to leaveit on to avoid missing unexpectedshots Operating button Touching the operation button with the main switch on activates the camera smeter viewfinder LED display and exposure control sys tem lf proper contact is not possible e 9 when wearinggloves pressthe operating button slightly The shutter is releasedwhen the button is pressed all the way...

Page 14: ... stalled no LEDs light and the shutterlocks Cold weather operation Since batteriestend to losepower as temperature drops always use fresh batterieswhen photographing in cold weather and keep a spareset with you preferably in a warm pocket close to your body Battery capacity will be restored when temperaturereturnsto normal For prolongedcold weatheruseat approx 0 C 32 F or lower it Ls recommended t...

Page 15: ...m era sfilm speedring must be set to the correct f ilm speed While pressing the film speed ring release turn the film speed ring until the desired number lines up with the index and locks in place when you remove your finger from the release Memo holder A n I S O D I N A S A t a b l e i s located on the camera back lt is surrounded by a handy memo holder where you can insert the film box end as a ...

Page 16: ...the knob pulled out position a 35mm film cartridge in the chamber with its projecting spool down Then push the back cover releaseknob all the way in rotating it slightly if necessary N O T E o When loading film in a dark place or with the lens cap on loading will be easierif the mode selectoris not set at AUTO o Always handle and load film in from direct light by your body o Do not touch any parts...

Page 17: ... advanceleveruntil the f ilm is wound firmly aroundthe take up spool the sprocket teeth are engaged with holes on both edgesof the film and the slack in the film is taken up lf the film advance lever stops at the end of a full stroke during this procedure release the shutter and continue mainswitch must be on 5 After making sure that the film is taut close the camera back by pressing it until it l...

Page 18: ...cket by your left hand slowly operate the film advanceleveruntil the f ilm is wound firmly aroundthe take up spool the sprocket teeth are engaged with holes on both edgesof the film and the slack in the film is taken up lf the film advance lever stops at the end of a f ull stroke during th is procedure releasethe shutter and continue mainswitch must be on 5 After making sure that the film is taut ...

Page 19: ...e lever is moved an addi tional 130 until it stops the f ilm and frame counter advanceand the shutter is cocked for the next exposure Safe Load Signal Frame counter As you take pictures and advance the fi l m the r ed bar i n the Safe Load Si gnal gr adual l y m oves to the r i ght and the r ew i nd cr ank r otates counter cl ockw i se i ndi cati ng pr oper fi l m advance Never f orce the f ilm ad...

Page 20: ... glow camera sets stepless speed between the two and 2 in M manual mode the metered speed Blinking LED at 4Hzl indicates user set shutter speed in manual mode 60 LED blinks at 2Hz as flash ready signal with X series Minolta Auto Electro f lashes 1 4 sec under rangeLED Glows if metered speed is between 1 and 4 sec Blinks ht 4Hz if outside range B setting indicator Focusing screen Split image spot m...

Page 21: ...dY for picture taking Main switch at ON Film speedset Batteries OK Doesmode LED glow not blink when operating button is touched or pressed ffi Min imum aperturelock released on new type MD lensonly F i l m i n s i d e Mode shutter sPeedset Self timer of f www orphancameras com ...

Page 22: ...nge LED blinking lf so turn the aperture ring toward the smallestaperture i e f 16 or tl22luntil the LED stopsblinking lf it does not stop use a neutral density ND f ilter or reducethe light levelif possible ls an LED on indicating1 30 sec or slower shutter speed Using slow shutter speedsmay result in blurred pictures due to camera movement To correct turn the aperture ring toward the largest aper...

Page 23: ...of most subjects There may be times however when you want to obtain a particular effect such as rendering a certain range in sharp focus emphasizinga subject againstan out of focus background or selectinga specific shutter speed ln these cases you must select the appropriate apertureto give the desireddepth of field seep 281or the desiredshutter speed p 29 Guidelinesfor typical picture takingsitua...

Page 24: ...and does not shimmeror appearbroken uP At this point the subject image within the viewfinder s center focusing aid appears clearest and seems to blend with that on the matte field surroundingit You will Probably f ind that focusingis easiest if Split image spot is used for subjectshavingvertical lines Microprismband is usedfor lenses f rom medium wideangleth rough medium telePhoto esPecia llY with...

Page 25: ... possible and press the operating button gently to releasethe shutter The camera should be steadiedagainst your face or body Always Pressthe button with a slow steady squeeze to release the shutter never a quick jab Some ways of holding the camera are shown here lf You grasp the cameraf irmly with your right hand on its front grip you can shift it back and forth for horizontal a and vertical b pic...

Page 26: ...m is advanced 3 Pull the self timer switch up 4 To start the timer press the operatingbutton A visual signalwill indicate how much time is left before the self timer releases the shutter Self timer LED blinks as follows First 8 sec twice Persec Next sec eighttimesPersec L a s t s e c c o n t i n u o u s l Y NOTE o You may cancel the self timer after it has been started by pushing the self timer sw...

Page 27: ... to the left Near the end you will feel tension of the film increasethen completely disappear and the crank will then turn freely 3 When you are certain that the exposedfilm is completely rewound into the cartridge pull up on the back coverreleaseknob to open the back then remove the film car tridge o Never open the camera back when there is any red still visible in the SafeLoad Signal 2 3 www orp...

Page 28: ...e center of the fr a me th e AE lock should be used with camera in auto mode Use the AE lock in si tuations w he r e subjects appear dark against s tr on g b acklighting such as win dows o r against a light background of sno w or sand or where subjects app e a r very light against a dark backg r ou nd as when standing in a sp o tlig h t or shaft of sunlight To obtain proper exposur e i n high cont...

Page 29: ...to change the aper ture do so before pressingthe AE l o c k o For precise exposure control when using the AE lock with a variable eff ective apertu re zoom lens such as Minolta 35 105mm f13 5 4 5 MD Zooml slightlY adjust the aperture after engaging the AE lock to compensate for the change when zooming or do not zoom after engaging the lock For exact compensation value please refer to the zoom lens...

Page 30: ...inking at 4Hz 4 times per sec and the metered speed for the aperture and film speed set is indicated by a glowing LED To obtain normal exposure as metered by your camera simply adjust the aperture and or shutter speed until the blinking and glow ing LEDs match up Lightenpicture 1 5 2 Set mode shutter speedselector at desired click stop from 1 1 s e c t o 1 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0s e c Darkenpicture 2 1 5 ...

Page 31: ...22 should be usedto prevent stray light f rom affecting the exposure N O T E o The self timerdoesnot operateat the 8 setting o With fresh batteries at moderate temperatures the maximum long exposure is approx 10 hours At lower temperatures exposure time may be shorter When the mode shutter speed se fector is set at 8 the shutterwill open when you pressthe oPerating button and remain open until you...

Page 32: ...s e g f l1 7 yield a shallowdepth of f ield rendering the background out of focus example A smalf apertures le g f l22l give greater depth of field with sharper background exampleB Tfredepth of field can be checkedon the lens depth of fieldscaleasshown Depth of field also varies with subject distance when the lens is focused on a close subject the depth of field is shallow when focused on a distan...

Page 33: ...sired shutter sPeed when using auto mode turn the lens aperturering until the LED next to the desiredshutter speedlights Fast shutter speedssuch as 1 500 or 1 1000 sec can freeze action example A Slow shutter speeds such as 112 or 1 sec can be usedto emphasizesubject flow or motion example B B www orphancameras com ...

Page 34: ...g infrared film first focus your subject as usual with visible light Attach a red f ilter and tu rn the focusing ring to the right to align the point of proper focus on the distance scale with the small red dot or red R on MC and old type MD lenses on the depth of field scale Set exposure according to the fi lm manufacturer s recom mendations Film planeindex The symbol beneath the f ilm advancelev...

Page 35: ...blink asa flash ready signalwhen the flashisturned on and fully charged and the shutterwill be automati cally switched over to 1160 sec when the shutter is released lf you use an electronicflash other than a Minolta X series Auto Electroflash the mode shutter speed selectormust be setat 60 to assurecomplete exposure of the film frame Slower speeds can alsobe usedunder certain conditions if desired...

Page 36: ...r horizontal or verticalframing Auto Winder G lets you focus full attention on the creative aspectsof photography by freeing you from winding the film after each picture Continuous sequences up to 2frames per second are also possibleby holding down the camera soperatingbutton Both units are designedto attach quickly and easily to your X 300 without accesscaps to remove or store Their film advance ...

Page 37: ...der when the f lashis chargedand readyto f ire Other featuresare multiple auto aperturesettings manual mode and Ni Cd battery power supply W I R E L E S SC O N T R O L L E R I R l S E T The lR 1 inf rared transmitter receiverset lets you triggeryour cameraf rom up to 60m about 2OOft away for remote controlledsingle frame exposures continuous sequences or long exposures When used with extra receive...

Page 38: ...ly at detented indications electromagnetic shutter release lockswhen voltagetoo low for proper operation Metering TTL center weighted averaging type by silicon photocell mounted at rear of pentaprism Film speed range ISO 12112 to 320O136 set by film speeddial that locks at 1 3 EV increments Mirror Triple coated oversize instant return slide up type Viewfinder Eye level fixed pentaprism type showin...

Page 39: ...auto exposure control and manual operation main switch with indication for off or on mode LED blinks when cells approach exhaustion no LEDs light and shutter will not releasewhen voltage is too low for proper operation Self timer Electronic for 1O sec delay with operation indicated by camera front LED that blinks at 2Hz for 8 sec then 8Hz for 1 sec then remainson until shutter releases cancelable ...